Man arrested selling stolen lotto tickets back to store, police say

Some Halifax cops got lucky while they were investigating a lottery ticket robbery on Tuesday.

The Needs convenience store on Lacewood Drive in Clayton Park had been robbed at 6:25 a.m. that day. A man walked in, motioned he had a weapon, demanded money and later ran off with tickets, police said in a release.

Less than 12 hours later, Halifax Regional Police officers were at the store following up on the caper when a man walked in and tried to peddle some unused lottery tickets for cash.

The tickets were found to be the stolen items and he was arrested at 5:45 p.m. for possession of stolen goods.

The 31-year-old from Halifax, who has not been identified, has been ordered to appear in Halifax provincial court on August 12.

Police spokesman Const. Pierre Bourdages said no charges have been laid in connection to the robbery itself, but the matter is still under investigation.